Dancing With the Star’s season 17 contestant, Leah Remini has been in the headlines recently regarding her very public split with the Church of Scientology, but will all the drama surrounding her personal life affect her performance?

Well it hasn’t affected her rehearsals with partner, Tony Dovolani. On the season premiere of her talk show, she told Ellen Degeneres that she is feeling the burn. “Everywhere — places I didn’t know could hurt. It’s so much harder than I thought, and most say that, but it’s true. I thought, ‘Oh, I’m going to be good. I’m going to surprise them. I’ll go, “I can’t dance! I can’t dance,” and then [Pow! I'll wow everyone with my moves].”

As for her split with the Church of Scientology, it has become pretty nasty. Her mother raised her in the church and she had become one of it’s most famous members. But recently, Leah Remini’s “eyes got opened and I could just no longer be affiliated with the organization, and my family felt the same, so we left.”

It got worse when the former King of Queens star reported Scientology leader David Miscavige’s wife missing to the LAPD, noting that she had not been seen publicly in six years. The LAPD quickly found Mrs. Miscavige and closed the investigation.

After her very public split with the famously private church, Leah is planning to write a memoir about her experiences.

But when will she have time? Rehearsals for Monday’s premiere are in full-swing. Leah and her partner, Tony, will be competing against some stiff competition in the form of trained dancers, Corbin Bleu and Christina Milian; as well as ESPN commentator Keyshawn Johnson and MTV star Snooki.